The Line of Lucis: Blood of Kings
by Saxophones For Eccentricities
Summary: When the Niflheim Empire lays siege to Terra Sanctum, the surviving members of the royal family take refuge with their only living relatives in Lucis. When the Imperials attack Insomnia, a princess of a fallen kingdom must make a choice. Will she let Insomnia suffer the same fate as her homeland, or will she fight to save the land she now calls home? OC, slight AU, 3rd cat. Romance
1. Chapter 1

Slightly edited version of Ch. 1

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXV.

Chapter titles taken from names of music pieces from the FFXV OST.

* * *

Ch.1 Sorrow Without Solace

"Verum, take your siblings and run!" shouted Praesidio, the Captain of the guard, as he fended off the increasing number of magitek troopers. Diplomatic relations between Aestas and the Niflheim Empire had failed. Not surprising, as the Empire demanded Queen Regina and the royal children as their price for peace. The Empire held resentment for the entirety of the Lucian royal bloodline, and with the Queen Regina being the sister of King Regis, it made her and her children a target too.

As the eldest of the Vincit children, Verum knew it was his job to protect his siblings. He hurried his two younger sisters, Pax and Amare, out of the palace. As he led them through the blistering flames and crumbling walls of their former home, he saw his parents, King Salutem and Queen Regina fighting off a horde of magitek troopers and daemons.

Verum looked back and forth between his sisters and his parents. He was torn between getting his sisters to safety and helping his parents defend their people. He felt a soft hand on his arm and turned to face his sister, Pax. She stared at him with a watery eyes.

"Go. If you feel you have to go, go," she said through her tears. "Don't worry about us. I'll get Amare and I to safety."

Verum grabbed Pax and pulled her into a hug. He then bent down and pulled Amare into a hug too. "I love you both. Take care of yourselves," he told them before rushing off to fight alongside their parents.

"Verum! Verum, come back! Where are you going?!" Amare cried.

At her sister's cries, Pax couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She grabbed Amare as tears ran down her face. Amare struggled in her sister's grasp, fighting her hold in a desperate attempt to follow after her older brother.

"Amare. Amare we have to go." Pax whispered.

"No! Let me go! I'm not leaving without them! I won't!" Amare protested.

Pax watched with fearful eyes as more and more daemons and magitek troopers descended upon the palace and crown city of Terra Sanctum. They had to get out of there now if there was any chance of survival.

"Amare, we have to le-"

"No! We can't just leave them!"

"Amare!" Pax shouted, having reached her breaking point. "We are leaving _now_. We have to get out of here." Pax tugged on her sister's arm and dragged her away from their older brother, their parents, their home.

Pax and Amare continued on, dodging daemons and magitek troopers alike until they were out of the city. Once they were out of the city Pax told Amare that they would head to Insomnia. They would be safe there with their Uncle, King Regis.

Pax and Amare slowly made their way across Aestas. Travelling in the day and taking refuge in havens at night. They foraged for food. Taking down less dangerous garula for meat and collecting wild vegetables for their greens.

After two months they finally approached the eastern border of Aestas, and with that the ships that were taking refugees across the sea to Lucis and Accordo. They boarded the ship disguised as refugees. Since the fall of Terra Sanctum, the empire's influence had spread throughout Aestas. There were Imperial soldiers all throughout the refugee ports searching for Pax and Amare. By nothing less than the grace of the Astrals had the two Vincit sisters made it across the water without being noticed.

The ship first stopped in Altissia where Pax was finally able to breath without constantly worrying that the Imperials were on their tail. While the two girls still had a ways to go before they reached Insomnia, making it out of Nifilheim occupied territory was something to be glad about. The ship carrying refugees stopped only long enough for people who chose to make new their new lives in Altissia or the surrounding lands of Accordo to disembark. Once the last passenger was off the ship it was back to the open seas.

On the way to Galdin Quay, the port where the rest of the refugees including Pax and Amare would get off, a storm came over the area and the vessel carrying the newcomers sustained heavy damages. This storm threw them off course and with damages so great, making port was the crew's first priority, causing the ship to dock at Cape Caem, far away from their original destination of Galdin Quay and even further away from Pax and Amare's end goal of Insomnia.

Once they landed the captain of the ship told all the passengers that they would have to get off here at Cape Caem. It would take weeks to fix the ship. The refugees were on their own from this point on.

The sole merchant at Cape Caem was kind enough to provide a free map to every group and wished everyone the best of luck. With the open map in one hand and the other in Amare's grip Pax took a deep breath and began to lead her sister down the lighthouse steps and toward the road. They needed to head to Lestallum first. It was the closest largely populated city in the region and they needed a place to blend in and hide out for a while Pax regained her bearings and came up with a plan.

Still, she had yet to decide whether to go right or left once they hit the road as both options had their pros and cons. It would be a long journey either way, but turning to the right would make it even longer. The left side was a good amount shorter, but the risk of high level enemies was greater. Pax was confident in her abilities, but she did not know what sort of creatures they would be up against. As much as she wanted to get to relative safety as soon as possible, she couldn't risk her sister's life like that. Amare was skilled in magic but could only do so much given her young age. She had promised she would take care of Amare, and she planned on doing so.

When the sisters reached the road Amare looked up at her sister and asked, "Which way?"

"This way. We'll go right."

* * *

With the help of a couple of kind hunters they met at the Taelpar Rest Area that happened to be in the area the girls made it to Lestallum much sooner than Pax had expected. During their journey with the hunters the Pax and Amare had learned what kind of foes were in what area and what worked best against them. It seemed that they would do best to avoid magic resistant creatures like Dark Flans and Gelatins since magic was all the two girls had. When the friendly hunters, Bonnie and Venari, dropped them off in Lestallum Bonnie, thinking that these girls were too young to go it alone, gave them directions to Meldacio Hunter HQ with the promise that refuge would be available to them there if they ever found themselves in a tight spot. Amare and Pax thanked them and the two hunters stayed and watched the two sisters until they faded into the crowd before driving off.

During their fourth day in Lestallum, Pax and Amare ran into Fiducia and Dolo, two advisors to their parents. Having seen familiar faces Pax allowed herself to let her guard down once more.

"Princess Pax! Princess Amare! You're alive!" Dolo cried out in relief. Fiducia smacked the young man in the arm.

"Quiet down will you?" the older woman whispered harshly. "Do you want the whole city to know that the Princesses of Aestas are here?"

Dolo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, but it really is great to see you both alive and well."

"We're alive, but I'm not so sure about the well part," Pax said as she thought about the long journey her and had sister had undertaken since first fleeing Terra Sanctum.

"Have you heard anything about Verum?" Amare asked. She knew that her parents had died defending their kingdom and had come to terms with it, but she still hadn't heard anything about Verum.

Dolo shook his head. "I'm sorry princess. But who knows, maybe he made it somewhere safe like the two of you did," he tried to reassure the younger princess.

"Just how _did_ you manage to get all the way to Lestallum without being identified your highness? I was under the impression that the Empire had set up checkpoints at every border crossing in Aestas," Fiducia asked.

"Psh, that was the easy part," Amare said to the elder lady. "We disguised ourselves."

"Oh? I would think it would be quite difficult to hide that bright red hair of yours."

"Nope. We used some cool dye that turned our hair brown. You'd be surprised at what some hair dye, different clothes, and the lack of a bath can do," Amare giggled.

"I see. How very resourceful of you girls. What are your plans from here? I suspect you'll want to continue on to Insomnia?" Fiducia asked.

Pax nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we'll make our way to Insomnia. That's the plan."

"Please, allow us to escort you there," Fiducia said.

"Yes, please. It's the least we can do for the family we swore to protect. Let us see you there safely," Dolo added.

"Thank you. Amare and I would be glad for your company."

"We'll leave first thing in the morning, so rest well," Fiducia said.

* * *

As Amare and Pax were preparing for bed, Pax recalled that she wished to clarify some travel plans with Fiducia and Dolo. She walked down the hall to the room the two guards were staying in. She knocked and the door swung back slightly. Pax could hear Dolo and Fiducia's muffled voices arguing about something. She decided to come back later and was carefully shutting the door when she heard a scream come from the room. She rushed into the room to find Fiducia holding a bloodstained dagger over Dolo's fallen body. She could see that he was dead. Not even the white magic she knew could bring Dolo back.

"Princess Pax, how convenient. I would tell you to come quietly, but you wouldn't do that would you?" Fiducia grinned.

Pax stared at the woman in horror. "Y-you just killed Dolo. Why? Why would you do this?" she cried. Pax could not comprehend what was happening. She had thought she and her sister were safe! She had thought she could trust Fiducia's familiar face, but she had just murdered Dolo!

"He was in my way," Fiducia stated bluntly. "My true objective was to find you and Amare and hand you over to the Imperials. Though, I suppose I'll be doing everyone a favor if I just get rid of you now. Your sacrifice will lead to peace in Terra Sanctum, in all of Aestas."

"You can't possibly think that doing this will change anything, Fiducia. They're monsters! They killed my parents and countless others!" Pax challenged.

"You're wrong. _You_ killed them. You and your whole selfish family. How could the lives of four people be worth more than all the citizens of Terra Sanctum? Your father was selfish to give up a chance at peace with the empire for your lives. When you're gone we will finally have peace," Fiducia grinned darkly as she took a swipe at the princess with her bloody dagger. Pax dodged, but not quick enough. The blade still nicked her right arm. Crimson blossomed on Pax's white shirt as her blood began to flow.

"I won't let you take me or my sister," Pax said through grit teeth as she shot a Holy spell at Fiducia. She knew it wouldn't do much as Fiducia was not a daemon, but it would knock her back and provide Pax with a bit of time.

Pax ran to the room Amare and her shared and burst through the doors.

"Pax? What's going on?" Amare said drowsily. Pax grabbed the backpacks they had picked up on their journey to Lucis and threw them over her shoulder.

"We have to go now, Amare. Fiducia is a traitor. She killed Dolo," Pax informed her sister. At the words _we have to go_ , Amare jumped out of bed and grabbed her shoes. She had long since learned not to question Pax when she said they had to leave.

"Out the window?" Amare asked. The sisters were on the first floor of the hotel so there was no need of injuring themselves if they chose to jump out of the window.

"That would be best. Let's go," Pax spoke and the Vincit sisters jumped out the window. They ran through the city streets zig-zagging their way through the crowds that made up Lestallum's bustling night-life. Every now and then Pax would look back and see if Fiducia was following them. So far so good. Fiducia was nowhere in sight. They continued running until they were on the other side of the tunnel that covered the road leading into the city.

Pax knew what they were about to do was risky. It was nearing the middle of the night and they were outside of the city. There were no lights or havens anywhere nearby Lestallum. With the white magic she knew and the little black magic Amare knew they should be able to fend off low level daemons, but if they ran into any of those giants or the magic resistant flans they were in big trouble.

Pax and Amare carefully made their way through the darkness. They stuck close to the road, but not so close that they could be seen by anyone that would be passing through.

When they reached a fork in the road Amare asked, "Which way?" Would they take the road that led north towards Meldacio or would they go east towards Rydielle Lay, towards Leide and Insomnia. While there was a very good chance that Fiducia was waiting for them somewhere along the way, they still didn't know if she was working alone, or if she was just one of a larger group. If it was just Fiducia, Pax and Amare stood a good chance if they came across her before they reached Insomnia. If it wasn't just her— if it wasn't just her, the two princesses of Aestas didn't stand a very good chance at reaching Insomnia at all.

"Pax?"

Pax turned to Amare with confident eyes. She was making the right choice, she knew it. It was the better and safer option. "We go north."

* * *

So I've been super busy with school which is why I haven't been updating any of my stories recently. I'm in my last year of university so please forgive my lack of updates. However, in honor of NaNoWriMo I'm hoping to get some work on various stories on here done and up in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading!

\- S.F.E.


	2. Chapter 2

Slight changes to this chapter as well but even less so than the first chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXV.

Chapter titles from FFXV OST.

* * *

Ch.2 Creeping Shadows

"Amare, now!" Pax called out as she dodged yet another attack from the Bomb daemon.

"You got it, sis!" Amare launched a Blizzard spell at the daemon and watched in relief as its red glow faded and the body disappeared into smoke. She turned her gaze to the east and saw the first rays of daylight on the horizon. With the sun on the rise, that Bomb marked the last of the many daemons Amare and her sister had encountered on their nighttime journey to the Hunter HQ in Meldacio.

Things had started off well enough, but as time went on Amare noticed Pax wasn't looking so well. She thought her older sister might have just been tired and in some shock with Fiducia's betrayal, but Amare knew something was wrong when Pax cried out in pain when she sent a Holy spell to a Mindflayer they had run into halfway through the night. Pax had told her she was fine, but Amare knew better. She just hoped they managed to reach Meldacio in time before she got worse.

"The sun's out. We should have an easier time getting the rest of the way to Hunter HQ now," Pax said.

Amare nodded. "Yup. Good thing too, I'm almost outta juice," Amare said as she looked at her hands and wiggled her fingers. Over the past few months, Amare had gotten used to using a lot more magic at one time, but she was still young and constant use of magic still wore her out.

"Me too," Pax agreed as she rubbed the arm Fiducia had sliced back in Lestallum. Pax noticed her sister looking at her arm with worried eyes and immediately dropped her hand from her injured arm. She needed to stop zoning out and pay more attention to what she was doing. She didn't need Amare worrying any more than she already was.

"Pax, are you sure you're okay? You keep rubbing your arm, and back there with the Mindflayer yo-"

"I'm _fine_ , Amare. Just a little sore is all. Now let's get to Meldacio. I'm sure they'll have food there and I know you're hungry." Pax said as she began to continue the trek north.

"And tired. Don't forget tired," Amare added as she followed after her sister.

* * *

The two girls reached the Hunter HQ just before noon and neither girl had ever been happier to see groups of tough looking men and women all gathered in one place.

"Food!" Amare called out in excitement as she smelled meat cooking on a nearby grill. She was determined to seek out the place that wonderful spell was coming from until she spotted the caravan.

"Beds!" the younger Astean princess shouted and with renewed energy, Amare ran around taking in the few sights Meldacio had to offer.

Pax laughed weakly at Amare's antics when suddenly a sharp pain shot through her left arm. Pax grit her teeth and fought the urge to grab at her arm. The pain was getting worse. The pain had been only in her upper arm where Fiducia had cut her at first, but it was spreading throughout her entire arm now. She felt that last one all the way down to her fingertips. Pax pushed the fabric of her billowy white long-sleeved shirt to reveal black vein looking lines trailing the length of her forearm. _Not good. This is definitely not good_.

"That's a foul looking wound you have there."

Pax pushed her sleeve back down with a startled gasp and turned to see an old woman standing in front of her.

"I-I just- I mean I-"

"My name's Ezma," The old woman said before looking at Pax with shrewd eyes. "You look a little young to have such an advanced stage of the Starscourge."

Pax stared at Ezma in shock and gulped. "Starscourge?" Pax muttered, the word hardly louder than a breath.

She had heard of the Starscourge of course. Who in the whole of Eos hadn't heard of it? Even if the Vincits were known for their prowess with white magic; even if Terra Sanctum was home to a natural and seemingly never ending pool of elixir, Aestas was no exception to the dreaded plague. All the white magic in the world would do no good against the Starscourge. Only the Oracle could cure a person of the plague of the stars.

Panic began to set in as Pax thought of what having the Starscourge would mean. _I don't want to die! I'm not even sixteen!_ Images of all the daemons she and her sister had faced in the past months filled her mind. _I don't want to become a daemon. I don't want to hurt people. Amare and I-_

" _Amare_ ," Pax whispered in realization. What would happen to Amare when she was gone? She hadn't had the plague before last night, or at least not such an advanced case. How long would she have? Would she get to Insomnia before- before she ceased to exist?

"Pax?"

Amare looked at her sister with worried eyes. She knew Pax wasn't as fine as she said she was. Amare turned and looked at the old woman standing in front of her sister.

"Can you help my sister?" Amare asked. "She's hurt. She keeps saying she's fine, but I know she's not."

Ezma looked at the younger girl with a sad expression and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry young one. No one here can help your sister. Only the Oracle can help her now."

Amare looked at Pax with the same look she had had back in Terra Sanctum when she realized Verum was leaving them. She may be young, but she wasn't stupid. Amare knew what the old woman meant. "No. No way. You were fine yesterday. You can't have gotten Starscourge so quickly," she said, shaking her head as if the action would make the old woman's statement any less true.

Pax placed her uninjured arm on Amare's shoulder and looked her younger sister in the eye. "I keep telling you I'll be fine Amare. We can deal with this once we get to Insomnia. I'm tougher than some silly plague," she tried to reassure Amare —and herself.

"Well, we better get you girls to Insomnia quick. I'm sure King Regis would like to know his nieces are alive and in Lucis," Ezma said and both Vincit sister looked at the old woman with wide eyes.

"You know who we are?" Amare asked in surprise.

"Not too hard to figure out. You said you're names are Pax and Amare, and _you_ dearie," she gestured to Pax, "look exactly like your mother did when she was your age."

At Pax and Amare's silence, Ezma continued. "Got an old friend of your uncle's down in Hammerhead that should be able to get you to the King. We aren't usually escorts, but lucky for you one of our hunters is headin' out to the area. I'll get him to take you down there," she glanced at Pax and then at the sky before turning back to the two princesses. "You'll be heading out as soon as possible, so be ready to go."

* * *

The ride to Hammerhead was quiet. Amare had drifted off to sleep almost as soon as Dave, the hunter escorting them, started the truck's engine. Dave tried to make small talk with Pax, but the older girl wouldn't respond. She just stared out the window with empty eyes as the wetlands of Duscae turned into the dryer lands of Leide. How could this have happened? She was certain she hadn't been afflicted with the Starscourge before. The disease was spreading from the arm Fiducia had cut her with, so what was it about Fiducia's knife that made her like this?

Pax gasped and clutched her side as another wave of pain ran through her body. She stared in horror as she noticed black mist starting to seep through her clothes. She was turning into a monster.

"We'll be in Hammerhead in about an hour. Think you can hold out 'till then?" Dave asked as he glanced at Pax out of the corner of his eye.

Pax let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Y-Yeah, I can make it."

"You girls have been through a lot haven't ya?"

Pax grimaced and looked out the window of the old pickup once more. "Yeah," she whispered. "It's been a rough couple of months."

"I'm sure things'll get better for y'all once you're in the Crown City," Dave spoke in hopes of comforting the older princess.

"I hope so," Pax glanced at Amare. "As long as my sister's safe. That's all I really care about."

Dave thought about telling Pax that she should worry about herself too, that there might be hope for her in Insomnia, but decided against it. He wasn't one for giving false hope. They both knew that she was succumbing to the Starscourge rapidly. The older girl would be lucky to last another couple of days, let alone long enough to get an audience with the Oracle. He could tell she knew it too, but was still determined to see her little sister to safety.

"You're a good sister," Dave said, and then silence swept over them once more.

* * *

"Amare, wake up."

Amare was awoken by her sister's light pushing on her arm. Amare blinked slowly before rubbing her eyes; the last remnants of sleep fading away. She yawned and looked out the window.

"Are we here already?" Amare asked.

"Sure are, kid. Welcome to Hammerhead," Dave answered as he pulled into the parking lot of a garage.

As they exited the vehicle, Amare looked around at the sandy ground and tall mountain peaks. Part of Terra Sanctum had been surrounded by a small forest and the other parts by fields of colorful wildflowers. There was always lots of green vegetation and a nice breeze. She'd never been anywhere like this before. Not even when she and Pax were travelling.

"I reckon you two are Pax and Amare?" A gruff voice said.

Amare turned to see an greying older man with a jacket and cap both bearing the logo of the garage standing next to a blonde girl who looked to be around Pax's age.

"Yes, that's us," Pax answered.

"I'm Cid and this here is my granddaughter, Cindy." Cid gestured to the blonde girl and she waved to the sisters.

"Hi there. You two are headed for the Crown City, right?"

"That's the plan," Pax answered wearily.

"You girls must be tired. We'll get some food in ya and then get you to bed," Cid said. "You joinin' us, Dave?"

Dave shook his head, "Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to decline. I've gotta couple o' varmits near Longwythe. It'll be gettin' dark soon. Gotta head out now if I don't want to run into any trouble on the road," the hunter explained.

Cid nodded. "Alright. We'll be seein' ya then."

Dave turned to Pax and Amare. "You two take care of yourselves now," he told them.

Pax nodded. "Right. Thanks for your help," she said.

"Yeah! Thanks for the ride," Amare added.

Dave nodded and started his truck up once more. The group watched as he drove away and when he was out of sight, Cid spoke. "Alright. Let's get some grub in you girls."

Cid walked towards the restaurant, Takka's Pit Stop, two doors down from the garage and the three girls followed.

"You'll love this place. Their jambalaya is the best in Leide and..." Cindy jabbered on to the two girls in hopes of raising their spirits some. She had immediately noticed the weariness in the faces of the two princesses. She couldn't blame them, not after all they'd been through. Cindy knew from experience how hard it was to lose parents, but she also knew that they'd get through it. She knew her parents would have wanted her to be happy, and she had a feeling that Pax and Amare's parents would have wanted the same thing for them.

After the four of them got comfortable in their booth and had placed their order, Cid got a call on his phone. The girls continued their own conversation while Cid put the phone to his ear and answered.

"Yeah?" Cid spoke in his rough tone.

 _"_ _It's Cor. Have the princesses arrived?"_ a male voice asked.

"Just a couple minutes ago. Y'all here or we waitin' till morning?" Cid asked while he scratched at his chin. He'd seen the condition the older girl was in. Ezma had said she was bad, but he didn't think she'd be this bad. He could see the stretch of sickly black lines peeking out from the top of her turtleneck. She was getting worse by the hour. If she was going to live, she needed help as quick as possible.

 _"_ _Myself and two of the Glaives will be there tomorrow. How are they holding up?"_ Cor inquired.

"Could be better, could be worse," Cid said carefully. With the girls in earshot he didn't want to say anything that would catch their attention.

 _"_ _How is the Princess Pax? We heard she was afflicted with an advanced stage of the Starscourge?"_

"That part's true."

 _"_ _You think she can hold out for a few more days?"_

Cid glanced at Pax, eyes fixed to the ever spreading signs of disease, before looking away. "Naw, I don't reckon that'll be happening," Cid said solemnly.

The line went silent on the other side. Several moments passed until Cor spoke again.

 _"_ _I see. I'll inform His Majesty of the news. Expect us there first thing tomorrow,"_ Cor spoke firmly.

"Will do. Be seein' ya then," Cid responded and then the call ended.

"Everything alright Pawpaw?" Cindy asks.

"Nothin' for y'all to worry about. Just making some last minute travel arrangements with the Marshall," he answered.

He watched as both Pax and Amare's eyes went wide. "Cor Leonis is to be our escort?" Pax asked in amazement. She had heard of him of course. Even in Terra Sanctum people had heard of Cor the Immortal.

"Yep. He and a couple of the Glaives 'll be here to get y'all tomorrow mornin', so be sure y'all rest up after dinner now ya hear?"

Pax and Amare nodded. They were tired anyway. They'd be more than happy to follow the order of getting a good night's rest.

"Now where's Takka with our food?" Cid grumbled.

* * *

After finishing their meal Amare felt sick to her stomach. She clutched her stomach and groaned as she felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

"Told ya not to eat too much," Cid said as he shook his head.

"But it was so good!" Amare whined. "And we hadn't had a real meal in weeks! How could I not eat all that food?" Getting close to their destination, eating, and chatting with Cindy had done wonders to her mood. Yes, she was still worried about her sister, but being so close to Insomnia gave her hope. Insomnia was where their uncle, King Regis, and the Lucian Crystal were. She just had to hold on until tomorrow. Surely there was somebody or something there that could help Pax.

Pax let out a weak laugh as Cid huffed and Cindy giggled at Amare. As she watched her little sister trudge up the stairs to the spare bedroom they'd be staying in for the night, Pax felt another wave of pain. This time it was centered in her hand. She cradled her hand to her chest and let out a sharp gasp as the sight. Not only had her hand turned the same oily black as the lines that had been spreading up and down her arm, but the tips of her fingers had taken on a claw like shape. She stuffed her hand into her pocket, and not a moment too soon because in the next moment Amare had stopped to turn around and look at her.

"Something wrong, Pax?" Amare asked.

"No, no. I just stubbed my toe on the stairs is all," Pax lied.

Amare glanced down to Pax's feet before meeting her eyes once more. "You sure it's just that?"

Pax rolled her eyes. " _Yes_ , Amare, I'm sure. A stubbed toe isn't going to be the end of the world. Now get moving." Pax pushed Amare with her good hand just to reassure her.

When they reached the top of the stairs Cid opened the door and revealed two cots made up with pillows and blankets. Amare walked in and flopped down face first on the cot closest to the door.

"Beds!" Amare said, her voice muffled by the pillows.

Pax turned to Cid and Cindy and bowed her head. "Thank you. Thank you both for allowing us to stay here."

"Yer welcome, but it ain't a problem. Right, Pawpaw?" Cindy said.

"Cindy's right. It ain't a problem. Least I could do for Gina's girls," he answered gruffly. "We'll let you two get settled in. If you need us, I'm across the hall and Cindy's next door."

"The bathroom's at the end of the hall to the left, and like Pawpaw said, If yer needin' anything I'm right next door," Cindy said as she gestured to the door that was on their right.

Pax nodded. "Thanks."

Cindy smiled. "We'll let you two get some sleep. G'night you two."

"Good night Cindy, Mr. Cid," Pax said.

Amare popped her head off the pillows. "Goodnight, and thank you!" she called out before plopping right back down.

The door closed and the two sisters were left in the room alone. Amare turned over so she was laying on her side and looked at her sister.

"It's really nice of them to let us stay here," Amare said and Pax nodded in agreement.

"It is. They didn't have to. It puts them at risk seeing as we're wanted by the Empire and have Fiducia after us too," Pax explained.

"Do you think she's still after us? We haven't caught a glimpse of her since Lestallum." Amare asked.

"I do think she's still after us, and just because we haven't seen her yet doesn't mean she's not out there," Pax paused to turn and face her sister fully. "You have to promise me you'll be careful and won't let your guard down, Amare. Until you're with our Uncle Regis in Insomnia you're not safe. Promise me, okay?"

Amare nodded. "I promise sis. I'll be careful."

Pax smiled. "Good, now let's get some sleep shall we?"

* * *

Thanks for reading and thanks for having patience with me.

\- S.F.E.


End file.
